


neon lights

by byeolbit



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Slice of Life, This was written in 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 10:25:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18569506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byeolbit/pseuds/byeolbit
Summary: Under the blinking lights where Jia disappears, Yixing disappears with her.





	neon lights

Yixing gets out of his car. He parks it quite a distance away, knowing he won't be able to find parking in the crowded market street. He contemplates but ultimately decides to leave his briefcase in the back seat of his car. His made to measure suit will make him stand out enough.  
  
He had almost forgotten what it feels like to walk amongst a crowd of people. The last four to five years have been spent in controlled recluse. The bright lights and sounds are brimming with life. Lay can’t help but compare it to the metallic finish conference room he left nearly an hour ago.  
  
He reminds himself to be careful and not to bump into anyone. He breathes in the scent of deep fried street food. How long has it been since he last ate at a stall by the street instead of a fancy restaurant? He struggles to come up with an answer. His destination surfaces before the solution to his query. He stops in front of a noodle shop bathed in neon lights from the signs above. They flicker but Lay doesn’t notice.  
  
He hesitates but steps in nonetheless. He feels overdressed for the occasion. That has never happened to him before. He looks around hoping to find Lian when he sees her waving at him. He smiles and makes his way across the room, awkwardly moving around the old lady shouting at a server instead of going through.  
  
Lay takes a seat across the table. He’s grateful that she picked a small table by the corner instead of the ones in the middle. The ambience is set off by the bright flashing neon colours from the signs outside but it offers the required privacy. In his private time, Yixing hates being the centre of attention.  
  
Lian smiles at him and he does the same. It has been five years. Any grudges or hard feelings have long since vanished into thin air, leaving sweet nothings behind. In his mind, Yixing goes back to the time they shared a small apartment and struggled to pay rent. They have mansions now. The times have changed.  
  
“You’ve changed a lot” she says, voicing his thoughts.

“Changing times call for people who can keep up” Lay tells her wearily.

“How’s the stock market doing?” she asks him nonchalantly.

“Rickety. We’ve been feeling tremors” Lay replies.

“The last I heard Yuan was going strong against Dollar” she said thoughtfully. She doubted it though. Her general knowledge was a constant joke amongst them.

“Everyone is praying it’s a long lasting trend and not a bubble” he explains. The unstable trend has kept everyone anxious.  
  
“Is that what the meeting was about?” she asks, eyeing his suit.

“Policy decisions” he tells her. He winces mentally. He’s wearing a suit while she is wearing a simple dress with an overcoat. He feels awkward yet again.  
  
“How is the next book coming along?” he asks her.

“Bad. I’ve barely gotten time to write between book signings” she confesses. Lay is not surprised. Lian has been at many events recently to promote her thriller series. He can tell it has been successful, as he recalls his colleague praise her work.

“So your editor is now on your case for it” he supplies. She nods with a heavy sigh. She takes a sip of water (Lay does not even remember the waiter bringing the glasses) and stress out of the window. Flecks of neon green dance in her eyes.  
  
For a moment they don’t talk. For a moment, they are Lay and Lian. A workaholic stock broker and an upcoming writer. They have entirely different worries and burdens on their shoulders. But a more mature understanding of the other’s situation in life.  
  
They order their favourite noodles. Lian briefly thinks about trying the new ones on the menu, but forsakes the chance in favour of a trip down memory lane. The waft of a familiar mix of spices and noodles sends Lay down the same road. Has it really been five years?  
  
“How have you been Yixing?” Jia asks.

“I've seen better days” he admits.

“What about you?” he asks her.

“I’m a train wreck” she confesses and he laughs.

For a moment they revert to being Yixing and Jia. Two roommates on the brink of adulthood. Two kids who fight about the flavor of icecream to buy. Two kids who are trying their best against all odds to steal and create a few moments together. Two kids who gambled on love.  
  
And lost.  
  
“Do you ever wonder what if?” she thinks out loud.

“Every day” Yixing tells her.

“There are nights I wake up wondering what we would be like if you hadn’t left.” The nights are few and far in between now.

“I’m not… I’m not sorry Lay” she says in a neutral tone (though Lay can detect the guilt).

“I’m not either. Whatever happens, happens for the best” he recites the old fable. He knows he wouldn’t have worked as hard as he did if he hadn’t been heartbroken.  
  
Post hoc ergo propter hoc. It is one of the many fallacies of logical reasoning.

Lian’s leaving had facilitated the chain of events that led to Lay’s success. But there is no evidence to claim the negation. What if he had worked harder to support them and become more successful? Under the blinking neon lights, they briefly think about alternate realities where their questions might be answered.  
  
The rest of dinner is spent in silence. There was so much to be said but nothing can be anymore. They split the bill, despite Lay’s insistence on paying the whole thing. It is reasonably late at night. The crowds have thinned down and the lights keep flickering.  
  
“Are you happy Yixing?” Jia asks finally.

“Reasonably so. Are you?” Lay answers. He has everything he ever worked for. Lian nods in return.

“We did good, huh?” she says with a small smile. The sign by the corner finally lights up properly and burns neon blue.

“Are you busy next week?” she asks. He shakes his head sadly. She sighs.  
  
“I guess I’ll see you when I can” she replies with a shrug. They are busy people now.

“I’ll call” he promises.

Both of them part ways, knowing the call can’t come any time soon. He watches her silhouette retreat and mix into the shadows. He muses over the probability of an alternate universe where Yixing would take Jia’s hand and walk down the street with her instead of letting her go alone. A universe where they would joke as they walked towards a small cozy apartment instead of driving separately to a home where no one awaits them. Where they exchange kisses instead of formal pleasantries.  
  
Under the blinking lights where Jia disappears, Yixing disappears with her. Meanwhile Lay takes in a last look at the bright sign which has changed it’s colour to red. It doesn’t stop flickering and Lay knows it will burn out soon. He sets off on his way and the sign flickers before burning out.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/starryfics1?s=09) | [Tumblr](https://vixxscifiwritings.tumblr.com) | [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/poojamk15)


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